Volunteerism in Youth Sports - a Vote We Can All Agree to Cast

By Troy Grubb, OCS, PT, ATC

Now that the dust has settled from the recent Presidential election, we can rest easy that our attention and time will no longer be pulled to the "left" and the "right." Instead, the crisp autumn brings our focus back to fall sports, particularly youth sports.

In many political campaign ads, politicians play to our hearts by making his or her case for family values and how he or she will provide for the future of our children. However, perhaps like yourself, I find that part of providing for the future of our children is to prepare them to be decent adults by direct involvement in their lives, leading by example and engendering values that cross all boundaries of race, religion, culture, economy and politics. Nowhere can this opportunity be more apparent than involvement in youth sports.

Youth sports teach many important lessons in life to our children and young adults - lessons that carry on into independent adulthood, including success through hard work, setting and achieving goals, self-sacrifice through team play, grace in defeat and a sense of self-worth and respect by pushing internal and external boundaries. However, these lessons are without value to young athletes without the demonstrative efforts by all adults involved in a child's or young adult's life.

There are many advocacy organizations that are focused on youth sports. These organizations are secular and non-secular, and they rely heavily on volunteerism to provide the bulk of work necessary to carry out their respective missions and tasks. Two examples of these types of organizations are Optimist International and the YMCA.

The Optimist International Club evolved out of many organizations that were developed in the early 20 th century in cities to combat the problems developing out of a growing industrialized and urbanized America . During this period in our country, there was a spirit of "optimism" given the end of World War I and prospect of an ever-growing standard of living. Optimist International was officially founded and organized in 1919 during a convention of groups in Louisville , Kentucky to promote advocacy for youth services. Their philosophy is to "to think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best" from our youth. Their focus, however, is not just limited to organized sports activities. They are also involved in other activities, including but not limited to the promotion of child safety in automobiles, raising funds for underprivileged children, and promoting healthy lifestyles for children. Today, there are 114,000 individual members who belong to 3,500 autonomous clubs. Optimists "conduct 65,000 service projects each year, serving six million young people" and "spend $78 million on their communities annually." In the Louisville metropolitan area, there are many autonomous clubs that help their respective communities.

Like the Optimist International Club, the YMCA, or Young Men's Christian Association, evolved in London , England out of a need to address "unhealthy social conditions arising in the big cities at the end of the Industrial Revolution" through teaching Biblical principles as a foundation to living one's life. It was officially established in June of 1844 and was unusual for its time, as it "crossed the rigid lines that separated all the different churches and social classes in England in those days." This openness and universal acceptance has grown into an international organization, very prominent in America , which crosses all gender, socio-economic, secular and non-secular lines. Its philosophy is to "put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all." The YMCA began as a refuge against the societal problems that plagued industrialized countries in the 19 th century and has evolved into an organization that serves the needs of all, especially promoting youth advocacy programs that involve sports and physical fitness. Like many non-profit organizations, there is a dependence on volunteerism to manage these programs and ensure their success.

Although I have no biological children, I have had a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of young athletes through my voluntary participation in youth sports, particularly Optimist League football in Louisville .

In 1997, I began providing medical coverage of tackle football games for the Hikes Point Lobos (a member of the Jefferson County Youth Optimist Football League). As a certified athletic trainer and licensed physical therapist, I provide sports medicine services to athletes during the games that are within the purview of my training. Although this requires that I spend five to six hours each Saturday during the late summer and fall covering consecutive games, I don't mind giving up my Saturdays to provide a service that most, if not all, young athletes generally don't receive until the high school level.

I find a great reward in helping these youths, assisting them with injuries or helping to prevent a problem, but what really keeps me coming back year after year despite ever-growing work and home responsibilities is that I am part of a large group of adults that really love these kids and sacrifice their own time devoting themselves to the management, coaching and myriad of tasks required to run a youth sports program like the Optimist League in Jefferson County. I observe and admire the people who, year after year, return to teach the skills necessary to be a successful athlete, but moreover, teach responsible life lessons. I consider it an honor to be part of such a group of caring adults who have dedicated a large portion of their own lives to the betterment of young athletes.

It is a truism that "children are our future," and I can find no better way to plant the seeds of self-sacrifice and perpetuate the responsibility for teaching honorable values than to volunteer in youth advocacy sports programs. You can find more information about volunteering by directly contacting the organization or church of your choice. It is important to make a difference where you live.

Troy L. Grubb, P.T., O.C.S., A.T.C. is a board-certified orthopedic specialist in physical therapy and athletic trainer with the Kentucky Orthopedic Rehab Team. E-mail comments to tgrubb@kort.com.